News


New care home will house ex-servicemen


A PLAN to demolish a 38-bed care home in Larkfield and redevelop the site with a new three-storey block of apartments has been approved.


Abbeyfield Kent Society has won permission from Tonbridge and Malling Council for the scheme at Martin’s Square. The housing com- plex will replace the existing Abbeyfield residential care home. All 41 residents have moved to new accommodation, the last leaving in December, and some of the 44 staff were found new positions at other Abbeyfield homes. The rest have lost their jobs, but 100 new roles are expected to be created with the de- velopment. The new scheme will provide 74


extra care units, of which 20 will be for ex-servicemen. There will be 52 one-bedroom units and 22 two-bed- room units for shared ownership or affordable rent. The apartments will be available only to over-55s who have a care need. Communal facilities will include


24/7 staffing presence, a nurse-call system, restaurant, sun room, activ-


ity and training room, therapy and hairdressing, assisted bathrooms and two landscaped gardens. There will be 35 parking bays and eight spaces for cycle storage. The charity said it had been


forced to close the home as it was no longer viable due to cuts inKCC funding; also, the facilities, includ- ing shared bathrooms and toilets, were outdated and upgrading would not be feasible. There was now a demand for homes where people could be independent with support from carers. Leon Steer, chief executive of the


Abbeyfield Kent Society, said: “The charity has been providing accom- modation and care for older people in Kent for nearly 50 years and Larkfield, like all communities in Kent, will be experiencing a sub- stantial increase in the numbers of older people needing long-term permanent care in the coming years. “This project will create two years


of development work and over 100 new jobs, relieving the suffering of many very vulnerable people.” Building is to start this summer and be completed by March 2018.


Fringe benefits for six days


BANDS are in rehearsals for the sixth Maidstone Fringe Festival, set to run for six days across the May bank holidayweekend. Celebrating the diversity of new


and original music in Kent and the South East, the festival will feature live performances at venues in- cluding The Style &Winch, Earls, The Druids Arms, The Flowerpot, The Source Bar, Drakes, The White Horse, The Art Lounge, Pizza Ex- press, The Royal Albion and The Pilot. Incorporated within the fes- tival are a number of all-day


events and dance all-nighters, as well as family-friendly entertain- ment at many of the town centre’s cafes and coffee shops. Much of the music will be free. Among the businesses support-


ing this year’s Fringe Festival, from April 27 to May 2, is Clive Emson Auctioneers, which has come on board as the major sponsor. Artists confirmed so far include


Coco And The Butterfields, Nick Harper and Gentlemen Of Few, new blues acts Salvation Jayne and


Flawless Carbon, alongside estab- lished favourites such as David Migden & The Twisted Roots, Funke & The 2 Tone Baby and indie/alternative artists Theatre Royal, We Are Bandicoot, Jody’s Flat, Aux and Upcdownc. Flying the flag for folk and acoustic music will be The Dredgermen, Tobys Starks & Friends and Vaughan Batchelor, along with a huge ska and reggae event at The Source Bar, featuring Winston Francis, Dennis Bovell, and Carl St Clair. Visit www.maidstonefringe.com.


Water staff lauded for 25 years’ service


TWO employees of Snodland-based South East Water have received awards after 25 years working for the company. Mick Bryant and Mike Masters


were among 17 staff presentedwith certificates and gifts for their long service. After starting work as an appren-


tice garage mechanic, before mov- ing to a farm in East Farleigh, Mick needed job security and applied for a labourer’s post at Mid KentWater. He has since worked in several de- partments including on the first household free watermains. Now a distribution technician,


Mick said: “Things are much more customer focused than they used to


18 Malling February 2016


Paul Butler (centre) presents the awards to Mike Masters (left) and Mick Bryant


be, with new technology converting our vans into mobile offices.” Mike’s career with Mid KentWater


started 32 years ago when he joined from school as an apprentice


plumber. He left in 1989 to become self-employed, but returned to the company as an area inspector. Now a leakage technician, he recalls see- ing some spectacular burst water pipe fountains, including one in 1991, during KCC roadworks near Roydon Hall at Seven Mile Lane, near East Peckham. He said: “I remember, when driv-


ing to the site, seeing a cartoon-like scene of a column ofwater 100 foot tall feathering out at the top and flooding the entire site.” South East Water managing di-


rector Paul Butler said: “Thewater in- dustry has seen many changes in the last 25 years but they both have taken it all in their stride.”


downsmail.co.uk MP demands


rail action PASSENGER train services in Kent are going off the rails, according to local MP Helen Whately. After Southeastern scored the country’s second-worst passenger satisfaction rating, the Mid Kent MP called on transport minister Patrick McLoughlin to take action. More than 15,000 people have


signed a petition demanding the re- moval of the franchise from South- eastern and the MP wants to know if the rail operator is in breach of its franchise agreement. Speaking in a debate in the


House of Commons, Mrs Whately said: “My constituents use the Southeastern network. Day after day their trains are being delayed, particularly at peak times. “This morning all trains between Maidstone East and London be- tween 6.30 am and 7.30 am were cancelled. These are unacceptable levels of service.” In the Transport Focus survey,


67% of passengers were satisfied with the punctuality of Southeast- ern trains, a fall from 72% in 2014. Overall satisfaction stayed at 75%. More passengers were happy


with ticket-buying facilities after Southeastern got new machines.


Finance firm


moves in SPECIALIST mortgage broker Mortgages for Business is moving its headquarters to Kings Hill. The company is relocating 38


staff from its Sevenoaks office to its new premises in an entire wing (8,572 sq ft) of 17 Kings Hill Av- enue. It plans to expand by more than 50% during the next three to five years and also has an office in Wilmslow, Cheshire. The independent broker advises


on all aspects of property finance including buy-to-let, residential and commercial mortgages. Managing director David Whit-


taker said: “Relocating to Kings Hill is an exciting move for us because we are bursting at the seams in our current office. We chose the busi- ness park because it has services, space and the parking we need today and in the future. “It is will also mean a shorter commute for staff who live in Maid- stone and Medway.”


Starring role KINGS Hill has a starring role in a new TV commercial for Ford cars. A sequence showing a pack of


dogs, of various shapes and sizes, running across a green space in the developmentwas filmed in Decem- ber for Ford UK’s “unlearn cam- paign” which urges people to let go of preconceived conceptions.


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